E ducation will not solve the climate crisis, but it is a catalyst for societal change. Nature-based environmental education (NBEE) and forest pedagogy in particular, with their versatile and active approaches, have great potential for effective climate education.

What is already out there?

There is no need to reinvent the wheel for climate change education. In fact, there are already a lot of materials, activities and documents for education on climate change.

Three examples:

-> Climate Actions: “Only if we act together and use less energy and resources can we make a difference against climate change. You too can contribute to climate protection – and become a ClimateHero.”

-> The Climate Collage – “Online or face-to-face, for a young or enlightened audience, based on the work of the IPCC, the Climate Fresk is the reference collaborative workshop for collectively understanding the complexity of climate change.”

-> Films for the Earth: “We want to activate people for environmental and climate protection. With selected films that raise awareness, inspire action – and show us what is worth preserving.”

Here you can find the compilation of our research -> Collection of climate education materials (GoogleDocs).

Please add to it and pass it on

We have by no means compiled all the material on the topic. Please feel free to add further resources in Google Docs or in the comments. Thank you!

How can we use the existing materials outdoors?

Almost all of these materials are designed for indoor learning. The question is: What can we implement (better) outdoors? And how? What can we do in nature that we cannot do in a classroom or seminar room? How can we use the advantages of outdoor learning in climate education?

We are using the time until the 16th European Forest Pedagogics Congress in May to reflect on these questions. Feel free to share your experiences with us, here in the comments, in your blogs or on your websites, which we will gladly link to.

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This article is part of a blog series in view of the SILVIVA annually conference 2021 and the 16th European Forest Pedagogics Congress “How to learn in and with nature in times of climate crisis? - European perspectives and solutions” in Zurich, Switzerland, 11th – 13th May 2022.

It is clear that education must contribute to combating climate change and that environmental education is predestined for this role. This is especially true for forest pedagogy and nature-based environmental education. But how can we do this and how can it be effective?

• What does contemporary forest pedagogy look like in times of climate change? What projects, programmes and approaches are there?
• How can/should forest pedagogy inputs/interventions be designed so that they make a contribution against climate change? And how can they be further developed?
• How can insights from climate education enrich the methodology of forest pedagogy?

These and similar questions will be raised and discussed at the European Forest Pedagogics Congress 2022.